Qualifications to be an Election Judge

(10ILCS 5/13-4)

Be a citizen of the United States and entitled to vote at the next election.

Junior/senior high school students who are in good standing or students enrolled in a Lake County public, community college or private secondary school may serve as election judges. Visit our Student Election Judge Program web page for more information.

Be of good repute and character.

Be able to speak, read, and write the English language.

Be skilled in the four fundamental rules (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) of arithmetic.

Be of good understanding and capable to perform his/her duties.

Be neither a candidate for any office at the election nor an elected precinct committeeman.

Election Judge Duties

Election judges work as a team and are responsible for the proper and lawful conduct of all elections by serving in local voting sites. They are commissioned as officers of the Circuit Court and must take an oath to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Illinois in the performance of their duties.

All judges arrive at the voting site before 5:15 AM on election morning and stay until closing procedures are completed after the polls close at 7 PM.

Training and Pay

To be certified, judges must attend an in-person Basic Training class and complete a skills assessment. Judges can increase their earning power by attending specialty certification training and be assigned additional responsibilities on or before Election Day.

Illinois election law requires all judges to attend training every two (2) years in even-numbered years to maintain a trained status. Free classes offered at several locations throughout the county, but registration is required. Call 847-377-2408 to reserve your space.

Role and Responsibilities

Basic/Advanced
Training

Specialty
Training
Required

Pay
Rate

Check-in Judge

Uses electronic pollbook to verify voter’s name, address, and signature. Helps with most special voter circumstances.

X

$140
base pay

Ballot Issue Judge

Confirms that each voter presents a properly completed application before issuing the correct ballot style.

X

$140
base pay

Ballot Box Judge

Picks up materials before the election and sets up the voting site. Oversees the operation of the voting site's ballot counter before, during, and after the polls are open. Closing the voting site at 7 PM. Transmitting vote count and packaging and transporting supplies to the drop off station after the close of the polls.

Completion and passing of Basic or Advanced class is a pre-requisite. Specialty certification training is required.

Completion and passing of Basic or Advanced class is a pre-requisite. Specialty certification training required.

X

X

add $30 to base pay If assigned as Voter Services Judge

Nursing Home Judge

Nursing home judges must serve on Friday or Saturday before Election Day, as well as Election Day.

Completion and passing of Basic or Advanced class is a pre-requisite. Specialty certification training required.

X

X

add $30 to base pay If assigned as Nursing Home Judge

What About Party Affiliation?

Election judges at each voting site represent the two major political parties. Individuals must declare a party (Republican or Democrat) in order to become a judge. The party which cast the highest average of votes at the most recent three gubernatorial elections in the precinct shall be represented by 3 judges; the party which casts the second highest number of votes at the most recent 3 gubernatorial elections in the precinct shall be represented by two judges.

Who Selects Election Judges?

In the spring of even-numbered years, the County Board approves election judges from certified lists furnished by the Lake County Central Committee Chairman for each party. All judges are designated as either Regular or Alternate.

The lists are submitted to the Circuit Court for comment. If no objections are filed, election judges are commissioned as Officers of the Court for two years. The County Clerk's office mails each election judge an Election Judge Commission certificate.

How Will I Know if I am to Serve?

Before receiving an Election Day scheduling notice, judges must return an availability form for each election by the noted deadline. The clerk's office will then mail each judges' assigned Election Day voting site's location and address. When regular judges are not available to serve, available alternate judges are scheduled to serve.